American Academy Of Pediatrics Says Weighted Sleep Sacks Are ‘Unsafe For Infants’
June 16, 2023, NBC News
The country’s largest association of pediatricians is warning that a product designed to help infants sleep more soundly could be deadly. The makers of weighted swaddles and sleep sacks liken them to a parent’s hand resting gently on an infant’s chest or to the sensation of “being held and hugged.” But the American Academy of Pediatrics says placing weight on babies while they’re sleeping poses an alarming and potentially fatal risk — and the group is calling for a closer examination of the potential danger.
China E-Commerce Shipments Would Lose U.S. Tariff Exemption Under Proposed Law
June 14, 2023, CNBC
A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill to eliminate a tariff exemption widely used by e-commerce sellers to send orders from China to U.S. shoppers. The exception, known as the de minimis rule, exempts imports valued at $800 or less from tariffs if the items are shipped to individual consumers. The bill would ban such shipments from China immediately upon enactment. De minimis shipments have drawn attention at least since 2019, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported it struggled to catch unsafe imports because of the heavy volume of low-value packages.
5 Ways Companies Are Addressing Skills Gaps In Their Workforce
June 15, 2023, Harvard Business Review
We’re in an unusual economic situation, one where recession fears are high, but the job market is tight. Organizations will need to find more targeted ways to address their skills gaps. Here are 5 developments in this space: 1) digital apprenticeships that are helping fill jobs in the digital and tech sectors; 2) tuition-assistance programs aimed at frontline workers; 3) learning-experience platforms with features like skills assessments, algorithmic-driven recommendations about what to learn next, and internal social networking; 4) the democratization of coaching; and 5) the rise of cohort-based courses.
CPSC Becomes Enforcement Authority For Imitation Firearms
June 13, 2023, The Toy Association
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will assume authority over regulating the marking of toy, look-alike, and imitation firearms, The authority will transfer from the Department of Commerce to the CPSC. The comment period for the direct final rule for this transfer of authority was completed on June 12. The transfer will take effect June 26 unless CPSC receives one or more “significant adverse comments.”
ACCC To Crack Down On Infant Sleep Products, Unsafe Toys
June 15, 2023. Sidney Herald
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will investigate infant sleep products and double down on unsafe children’s goods as part of its product safety priorities this year. The agency will use surveillance technology to enforce online product safety. Deputy chair of the ACCC, Catriona Lowe, said the watchdog’s work would focus on toys for children under three, products containing button batteries and toppling furniture. The investigation will and involve compliance, enforcement and education initiatives.
CPSC Warns One Portable Generator Can Release As Much Carbon Monoxide As Hundreds Of Cars
June 13, 2023, KXAN
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is reminding people carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators doesn’t just happen during the winter months. Summer storms can also knock out electricity, causing some people to use a generator for power. “We want to let people know that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning increases in those summer months with those power outages,” said a CPSC spokesperson. A new report shows “about 100 people die every year from carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators,” said the spokesperson.
NEISS: National Electronic Injury Surveillance System Explained
cpsc.gov
For more than 45 years, the CPSC has operated a statistically valid injury surveillance and follow-back system known as the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). The primary purpose of NEISS is to collect data on consumer product-related injuries occurring in the United States. CPSC uses these data to produce nationwide estimates of product-related injuries.
What To Expect With WA State Ban On Toxic Chemicals In Consumer Products
June 12, 2023, Seattle Times
The Washington Department of Ecology adopted sweeping rules that will prohibit the use of toxic chemicals like PFAS and bisphenols in certain consumer products. The new rules are the culmination of over four years of work through the “Safer Products for Washington” program that started in 2019, when the Legislature passed a law giving authority to Ecology to identify and regulate toxic chemicals found in common consumer products. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers must comply with the new regulations starting as early as Jan. 1, 2025, for certain restrictions, or face the threat of fines.
Analysis: EU General Safety Regulation Entered Into Force
June 13, 2023, Mayer Brown
After years of discussions on the subject and amid much expectation, the reform of the EU general product safety legislation has been finally adopted and entered into force on 12 June 2023. It seeks to address some of the major new societal challenges that emerged over the past two decades, including the increasing digitalization, the development of new technological and globalization of the supply chains.
CPSC Warns: Stop Using CCATTO Baby Tents Due To Suffocation Risk And Fall Hazard
June 15, 2023, Fox 28 Spokane
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning consumers to immediately stop using CCATTO brand baby tents because they do not comply with mandatory federal safety standards for infant sleep products. The Agency says they contain a banned infant pillow, posing a fall hazard and risk of suffocation to infants. The CPSC also says the baby tents fail to meet the safety requirements of CPSC’s Infant Sleep Products Rule, creating an unsafe sleeping environment for infants.
